One of the last to get through the gate was Morgan Wilson of Battle Creek who brought her mom. “This is going to be fun,” she said.

That was to goal of the whole event, which Leeth admitted took a “tremendous about of work” but said the whole thing was “very exciting.”

When Jackson took the stage with a roar of approval from the crowd, months of preparation came to fruition.

He played hits such as “Gone Country,” “Country Boy,” “Summertime Blues” and fans of all ages sang along. On stage behind Jackson and his band were huge screens sometimes showing Jackson for those in the way-back seats, sometimes music videos and other times members of the audience.

The age range of the 5,000 fans was diverse. It would be hard to say whether any age group out represented another. Several fans mentioned it as they left the concert including Jody Cline of Sturgis and her 21-year-old daughter Courtney Cline, who added “I loved it.”

That is probably because Jackson’s hits include songs for all the phases of life such as “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere” for the young rebelling against putting in a long work day, to patriotic numbers such as “Where Were You (when the world stopped turning)” which remembers 9-11.

Jackson has a newer hit, “As She’s Walking Away” recorded with Zac Brown about a momentary crush and older hits like “Livin’ on Love” about enduring love. He also plays “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” for a relationship that has ended and “Remember When” about young lovers who grew older together.

And if one song was slow and moving the next was something to dance to.

When he could, Jackson would substitute “Michigan” for the original phrase such as “Small Town Southern Man” where for the final line he sang “small town Michigan man.” The crowd loved the personalization.

Between each number as cheers from the crowd died down, Jackson would say, “Oh, thank you so much,” in a Georgia drawl as if he was truly moved that they liked the song.

At 9:20 p.m. during “Chattahoochee,” his last song of the concert, rain which had stopped earlier in the day, started to fall again. A few audience members headed out, especially those not under the grandstand roof, but most didn’t seem to mind getting wet to hear the encore.

It was “Where I Come From” and obviously Jackson’s camera crews had hit St. Joseph County shooting footage of the community, the fair and all things Michigan.

Polly Krotzer of Kendallville, Ind., stayed to the end without the benefit of an umbrella. She had purchased a ticket for the show in March, the first day they were on sale and had no desire to miss a song.

“It was a long wait,” Krotzer said, adding that the concert was more than she expected. “He put on an excellent show. It was worth the wait.”